Love Is
by Pa-Lee
Summary: Several hours have passed since the Yakin Duue Big Bang. Then, the unexpected happens. Dearka flips when he sees Miriallia in the arms of...? What life awaits our heroes and heroines after the war? AxC and KxL pairing and DxMxY triangle. Chapter Three up
1. Prologue

Love Is

by Pa-Lee

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Disclaimer: I do NOT own Gundam Seed. 

Author's Note: This is my first ever Gundam Seed Fic. This fic has an AxC, KxL, and DxM pairing. To all DxM fans out there, I am a DxM fan as well so please read before react. I hope you like it. No flames please. Thank you.

* * *

"I'm sorry, but could you please hand me the clip over there?" 

"Sure." The man in a ZAFT uniform answered and reached for the clip beside him. Handing it over, he looked at the young girl in front of him who was about finished carefully covering his left leg with a roller bandage.

She was pretty. And she looked very tired. He knew why. He had seen her running from one injured person to another. He suddenly felt sorry for her. She was too young to have been put in a situation like this. He had a daughter about her age and he couldn't imagine nor would he let her go through something like this. His daughter and this girl in front of him were no different. They were only children. He suddenly realized what a fool he had been.

Coordinators. Naturals. Was there really any difference?

Miriallia Haww secured the clip fastened on the bandage, brushed the sweat off her face with her sleeves, and stood up.

"Please sir…" She smiled kindly at the middle-aged ZAFT soldier sitting on the floor in front of her. "I know you'll heal very fast but, until then, please avoid putting any pressure on your left leg."

"Uh, thank you very much." The soldier felt very awkward but looked straight into Miriallia's eyes anyway. "You're a good child. You didn't have to help me but you did. Thank you."

* * *

Miriallia's head hurt. It had been throbbing intermittently since last night but she simply dismissed it as an effect of weariness. She felt her energy, or what's left of it anyway, slowly seeping from her body as she made her way to her quarters. 

It has already been several hours after the destruction of the Yakin Duue and the Archangel, the Kusanagi, and the Eternal were now helping the wounded. She had been helping as soon as the first wounded soldiers came in. She had been attending to those who needed treatment. She had been until now.

She didn't really want to get some rest but Sai, after their short debate as to whether she should rest or not, finally convinced her. He had a very strong argument.

Right after the Yakin Duue big bang, the adrenalin rush was still fresh. She was up and about. Running to and fro, helping one injured person right after another. She was non-stop. At least for the first 5 hours.

After that, well, she started dropping things, bumping into someone, stepping on someone's foot…Those sorts of things. As Sai pointed out, she was tired. Jokingly, he ordered Miriallia to go to her quarters, take a bath, and get some sleep before she could add anyone else to the list of injured people.

Yes, she was definitely tired. But she wanted to keep herself busy. Actually, she needed to keep herself busy. She felt that if she didn't, she'd go out of her mind. She had so many things to think about. So much has happened.

A few moments later, she entered her quarters and didn't bother turning the lights on. Seeing her bed, she felt fatigue and lack of sleep gravitating her towards it.

She thought of getting an aspirin for her headache in the medicine box in the corner of the room but decided against it and instead started walking towards her bed as she took off her uniform tiredly.

Lying on the bed, she wrapped her blanket around her tightly. After trying several sleeping positions every five minutes, she gave up. Sleep was eluding her. Curled up facing the bedside table where a picture frame rested, she sighed.

"Oh, Tolle…" She carefully reached for the picture frame. Inside was a picture of Tolle and her. "It's finally over. The war is finally over. I was so worried about Kira. It was a good thing Cagalli and Athrun found him soon after the explosion. They say he's okay now. He just needs to rest and that means no visitors until further notice. I hope Lacus isn't too worried. I can tell she likes Kira. I think Kira likes her too."

Miriallia was slowly dozing off. Her eyes were closed and she was starting to breathe evenly. Hugging the picture frame close to her, she continued her monologue of a conversation. "I miss you so much. What am I supposed to do now? I wish you were here."

Everything was pretty quiet for a few minutes. But Miriallia was suddenly talking again as if she didn't pause.

"Oh, Tolle…" she soflty whispered in a tone of despair. "Will you hate me if I told you that I'm worried about him? I haven't seen him since he went out for battle."

Holding the picture frame tighter and closer to her chest, she continued. "Please don't hate me. I also don't know why I'm feeling this concern for him. I don't know why but I just do."

Sighing, she softly asked, "Where are you?" With a sniff, she snuggled underneath the blanket, letting sleep completely take over her, but not before a name escaped from her lips.

* * *

_Dearka?_

_Her concern is for Dearka Elthman?_

Right that moment, he had never felt more confused in his entire life. He did not know whether he pitied Dearka or envied him. He did not know whether to commend the girl or to feel sorry for her. He did not know why this girl was thinking of Dearka when she obviously had a boyfriend already. Now that he thought about it, he did not know why this girl would even think about Dearka in the first place. But what irritated him the most was the fact that he did not know why it piqued his interest.

He was going to ponder more on this when his wounded torso suddenly made there presence felt. He listened for any further movements that may arise from the girl. When he was finally sure that there were none, he hurriedly finished dressing his wounds and bandaging it.

He was not too far when the Yakin due had exploded but, unlike the other mobile suits that were with him, his Gundam was able to withstand the blast. But the impact was really strong thus causing several problems for his Gundam and a few open wounds for him.

When he finished, he stood up and re-assessed his general status.

Since he lowered the upper portion of his spacesuit down to his waist so he could tend to his wounds, his upper body was now bare except for the bandage rolled around his abdomen and his upper left-hand chest and shoulder.

His pain lessened, albeit a bit, because of the well applied bandages. He felt dirty and sticky.

He cursed himself the moment he heard the door open. He should have just gone straight to the Medic Bay but, no, he just had to let his pride rule over his well-being. No way was he going to let a Natural treat his wounds.

He cursed himself again when he heard the footsteps coming towards him. He should have just shown himself the moment she entered but, no, he just had to let his military instincts rule over decency. No way was he going to expose himself wounded to a Natural.

Listening to the girl's one-sided conversation from the beginning to the very end made him curse himself all over again for being so stupid. He should have just killed Dearka instead of agreeing to come aboard the Archangel and meet him. But, no, he just had to speak with Dearka. He just needed to hear his reasons for abandoning his post and flipping sides.

He could feel a vein popping out from the right side of his temple. He had to clench and unclench his fists just so he wouldn't lose his temper. Being childhood friends with Dearka was like a bull being friends with a mouse.

Stealthily, he walked across the unlit room towards the door. Upon reaching it, he unthinkingly turned around, started walking, and was now standing a foot away from the bed. He just couldn't resist the urge to look at the girl who, for him, wasted her time thinking of Dearka.

He glimpsed upon her peaceful sleeping face. She was okay.

Peering down on her face and examining it closely, he found that she had been crying. He also found that she had a flawless face and had small, full, red lips. And her eyebrows were of perfect arc shapes. She had long, thick lashes and her hair was full-bodied, soft-looking, and shiny, which curiously smelled like a certain fruit he just couldn't discern at the moment. He noticed she looked a bit flushed but he just assumed it was due to the thick comforter she was using. Damned his enhanced senses if he wanted to know that much. But never the less, he had to be fair.

_Not bad. For a Natural._

She suddenly stirred in her sleep.

He stood as still as he could and dared not move.

When he was sure that she was in deep sleep again, he skilfully moved around the dark room towards the door. He would have done his mother proud. No one could have guessed there were two people in the room.

He was but a few feet away from the door when he suddenly felt it.

The eerie feeling you get when you're being watched.

Turning to see and, in this case, hope that he was wrong, he found himself looking in to the eyes of the girl who was, but a very few moments ago, asleep. He didn't even hear her move.

_It's impossible. She can't possibly see me. Not even Dearka could have spotted me so easily._

But there she was. Looking straight into his eyes. Standing in the middle of the bed. Scantily clad in her spaghetti-strapped shirt and her underwear.

What happened next caught him totally off-guard.

Smiling sweetly at him she started jumping on the bed.

* * *

Miriallia felt like she was burning. But she didn't care. 

She couldn't believe it but there he was. It was dark but she was sure it was him.

It was Tolle, his features accented by the moonlight as he stood by a very beautiful and familiar tree near the clear lake, looking at her while she was happily jumping on a… trampoline? She wondered for the briefest moment what she was doing jumping on a trampoline but immediately found herself not caring. Tolle was right in front of her and that was all that mattered.

Making her final jump on the trampoline, she felt as light as a feather. She was elated. She could not remember the last time she had felt such joy.

To make things perfect, she saw Tolle running towards her. Wanting to catch her.

* * *

He almost didn't make it and now that he did, he wasn't so sure how he felt about it. He could hear his ribs and shoulder cry out in pain and he could also feel his wound slightly open. Plus, they were in the most ludicrous position two strangers could be in. 

She suddenly jumped. He just barely caught her.

They fell. He was underneath her and she was on top of him.

Then all of a sudden, she hugged him. Tightly. He could feel the strain her arms were making on his neck, the tension her weight was causing his injury, as well as the heat radiating from her body to his bare chest.

_She's burning. _

Making a quick assessment of her, he frowned.

_Great. She's delirious. _

While thinking what the best thing to do was in this situation, he let her do as she pleased to avoid any confrontation which may wake her from her dream. A delirious girl roused from a dream would not bode well for him. And what she pleased at the moment was resting her head on his chest and continuing to hug him.

"Oh, Tolle…You're back." She softly whispered.

Just when he thought things couldn't get any worse,she started crying.

This was too much for him. He had never felt so helpless in his entire life. He would have rather faced a battalion of enemy fighters anytime rather than having a crying female lay on top of him.

He didn't know what else to do so he started patting her shoulder awkwardly. The gesture seemed to work because she was starting to breathe evenly with a few hiccups in between. He was fairly relieved when she started loosening her arms around his neck but was immediately alarmed when she lifted her face from his chest.

Her face was now a few inches away from his. Her face was very flushed and he could see the tears threatening to spill from her eyes.

"Now that the war is over, we can finally talk about the future." She suddenly reached for the side of his face and gently touched it. "Our future."

He froze. He never let anyone touch his face.

But before he could react, the door suddenly opened and the light was switched on.

* * *

"Yzak?" Dearka's voice was as cold as steel. His eyes silently demanding justification. 

Yzak Joule's eyes focused on Dearka's inverted figure behind him. He couldn't imagine what could be causing such hardly veiled hostility but, seeing the silent fury in his eyes, stood up while carefully assisting the girl to her feet.

"Look…" he started saying as he casually brushed off an imaginary dust in his shoulder. Which, by the way, was a bad idea. It sent jolts all through out his torso, reminding him of the injuries that got him in this situation in the first place. "…it's not what you –"

"Dearka?" Miriallia asked in disbelief.

She felt as though she couldn't breathe. All of a sudden, she was no longer in the park. Her trampoline disappeared along with the beautiful tree and the clear lake. She turned to look at Tolle but as she faced him, it wasn't Tolle at all. She was looking at a stranger. She suddenly felt sick. She couldn't understand what was going on. She wanted to distance herself with the stranger but before she could, she lost all consciousness but not before hearing Dearka call out her name.

Yzak caught her seconds before Dearka did. "Look, it's not what you –"

Everything happened so fast.

Before Yzak could finish what he was trying to say for the second time now, he felt Miriallia's unconscious body swiftly but carefully taken from him just before he staggered to the floor as Dearka's fist hit him squarely on the jaw.


	2. Chapter 1

Love Is

by Paris Lee

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Author's Note: Hello everyone! Thank you for the reviews! I still do NOT own Gundam Seed. Thank you. No flames please.**

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Chapter One

"**_Love is the Fundamental Feeling of One, the Veritable Happiness of Two, and the Plausible War of Three under the Mango Tree."_**

"What the hell is going on here?" Cagalli Yula Athha demanded as she tried to internalize what just happened.

Sai had asked her, not too long ago, to look in on Miriallia because she looked really stressed out. She was just about to enter the brown-haired girl's room when she saw Dearka unexpectedly punch Yzak to the floor but not before taking Miriallia's unconscious body into his arms.

"Hey, you…What happened to Milly?" She called out to Dearka as she rushed over to him. "And just what do you think you're doing with her body, which, may I mention, is half-naked by the way?"

At the reminder, he hurriedly laid Miriallia on the bed while fighting to hide the furious blush rapidly covering his face.

"She has fever. She's just a Natural so you better give her some medicine already." Yzak pointed out just before he left the room.

Cagalli, who was now sitting beside Miriallia and was just about to feel for her temperature, could only stare after the silver-haired pilot who had just stepped out of the room, wondering where he thought he was going and what he was doing here anyway.

She was about to ponder on this more, as she started her assessment on Miriallia, when she saw Dearka heading for the door while muttering something about how you could never trust someone.

'_What could have just happened here?' _Cagalli thought with intense curiosity.

* * *

He did not know why but he felt compelled to pursue the illumination before him. He curiously felt drawn as he continued to walk towards it. He very nearly touched it, but stopped, when he thought he heard someone call out his name.

'_My name…'_ he thought to himself strangely. _'Was that my name somebody called out just now?'_

He turned around and saw nothing but darkness. He figured he must have just imagined it. Shaking his head, he turned to face the illumination once more. Feeling its warmth slowly shroud him, he couldn't help but feel that something was amiss. Nevertheless, what else was there to do? He had no recollection of anything. Not even his name. But still, he felt a nagging suspicion that if he let this warm light completely encompass him, there would be no turning back.

"Then why go through with it, Kira?" A voice, which he was sure he had heard before, asked from behind.

Startled, he turned to face a well built elderly man possessing long silvery-grey mane. He had a kind face and was smiling at him now.

"Kira…is that my name, Sir?" He asked as he tried to remember where ha had seen this man before.

"Why, yes, I believe it is." Chuckling softly, he gestured for the younger man to come nearer.

Slowly separating himself from the light, Kira walked warily towards the kind-faced man. "Were you the one who called out to me, Sir?"

"No, I was not the one who called out to you. It must have been somebody you left behind."

"Left behind? Sir, I don't think I under – "

"Snap out of it, kid." Another familiar voice boomed out.

What was going on? Kira Yamato didn't even feel that someone was already behind him until he felt a forceful slap on his back. He turned to face who it was he owed the favour of a sore back to and was surprised to see another well-built man just a couple of years older than him. He had blond tresses and also had a smiling face.

"You…" He stared at the blond-haired man as he gently massaged his scapula. "I've seen you before…"

"Of course you have!" He replied matter-of-factly, his smiling face turning serious. "Now you listen here, Kira. I wasn't able to keep my promise but I'm not about to let you break yours. You got yourself a pretty girl waiting for you. Don't you know that Ms. Clyne is worried stiff about you?"

_Ms. Clyne? _

_Ms. Clyne? _

_Ms. Clyne? _

_Ms. Clyne…_

_LACUS!_

It took a few seconds before realization hit Kira.

_Come back to me…_

"That's right. I promised." He softy whispered. "Lacus…"

With sudden light in his eyes and swift air to his feet, he found himself running away from the illumination. He had no reason why, but he felt sure that the path he was passing was the one that would lead him home. The one that would lead him to Lacus.

"Kira!"

Still running, he looked at the people behind him. There were more of them now and they all looked really familiar. They were smiling and waving at him, while some were shouting good luck's and favours.

"Say 'hi' to Mir for me, Kira!" A boy, with brown curls, about his age cried out as he waved goodbye. "Tell her that I will always love her and that she should trust her heart. Everything will be just fine!"

He also saw the long silvery-grey-haired man smiling at him together with another man with kind eyes. "Be sure to tell our daughters how proud we are of them…"

"Tell Murrue to keep believing in miracles because they're true." The blond-haired man shortly waved and smiled at him for the last time. "I should know since she was one to me…"

The smiling and waving people behind him were slowly fading, together with their cheers of good luck and happiness, but not before he caught a glimpse of a small girl.

"You're very kind." Smiling sweetly, she blew him a cute flying kiss. "Thank you for trying, _Neechan_."

"Lacus?" Kira called out softly as he gingerly opened his eyes to the dimly lit room.

After his eyesight had adjusted, he smiled at the sight before him. The simple motion caused his nerve-endings to react violently but he didn't care. He felt as though he was the luckiest man alive. His angel was right beside him.

Lacus was sitting on a wooden chair placed against the side of the bed. Her head was lying on his hand, which was wrapped in both of hers.

She smelled fragrant and looked truly angelic with her long, pink, and full-bodied tresses spread out in all the right places. Her skin felt warm and soft against his hand. With the dim light in the room, it looked as if she were glowing. He wouldn't be surprised if, at any second now, her wings would slowly stretch out from her back. He felt that his heart could just burst with joy.

But what happened next made his heart constrict instead.

"Oh, Kira…" His pink-haired angel sniffled gently as very slow flowing tears suddenly trickled from her closed eyes down to her cheeks. "Please come back already…"

Feeling her tears on his hand, he used the back of his other hand to softly touch Lacus' face. He hated seeing her cry. He hated it more now because it seemed to be his fault.

"Lacus, don't cry." He implored tenderly. "I've come back."

"Kira?" Lacus asked as she slowly stirred from her sleep.

She rubbed her eyes daintily and opened them to find Kira finally awake and with a shy smile across his face.

After getting over her initial shock, she felt as though her heart was going to explode due to the different kinds of emotion she was feeling right now not too mention the fact that she had so many things she wanted to say to him.

"Lacus..." Kira shyly remarked as he looked at his angel's face covered in a cute mixture of relief and astonishment. "I'm back."

Taking a deep breath, she was finally able to focus on one emotion. Happiness.

Tears of joy were streaming down her face. Forgetting all reserve, she threw herself into his arms as she laughed and cried at the same time.

A deep shade of red spread across Kira's face at the unexpected gesture and felt his body ache all over. But he didn't care. It was the best feeling in the world for him. And just as he felt as though things couldn't get any better, they did.

"Welcome back, Kira." Lacus softly whispered in his ear. "Welcome home."


	3. Chapter 2

Love Is

by Paris Lee

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Author's Note: Hello everyone! Thank you for the reviews!

I hope you all like this second chapter. I wasn't able to have another look at this after writing it so I'm not sure it's free from wrong grammars or spellings.

No Flames please.

I do NOT own Gundam Seed.

**

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Chapter Two

"_Love is present even in the deepest silence and remains resilient in it. It has the ability to recognize the precise moment when to liberate someone from its confines and when to embrace someone in its powers."_

He had just come from the Medic Bay and had gotten his own wounds treated when he saw Cagalli making her way to the hangar. She had told him that Miriallia was alright now and asked if he could watch over her until she came back.

Now in front of Miriallia's quarters, he was waiting for the door to swish open and had no idea what to expect given what happened earlier. When he heard the swishing of the door, images of earlier events invaded his mind but were immediately pushed away when he heard a sobbing sound.

"Miriallia, what's wrong?" Dearka asked in alarm as he ran towards her crying figure. "Are you hurt?"

The CIC of the Archangel lifted her head in surprise. Stepping down from the bed, she threw herself at the man before him in relief. "Oh, Dearka!"

"What's wrong?" Dearka managed to ask despite the burning blush spreading across his face and the discomfort he felt at the situation. Trying his best to ignore the fact that all Miriallia had on was her underwear and spaghetti-strapped shirt. He also tried his best to adapt to the situation at hand as he awkwardly wrapped her in his arms and started stroking her hair in the effort to soothe her.

Feeling his arms around her, she continued to soak Dearka's chest with tears as she tightened her embrace on him. She could vaguely hear him telling her that everything was going to be alright as she felt him stroking her hair. "I h-had a bad dream."

Still locked in the embrace that was growing less uncomfortable by the minute, Dearka carefully led her to the bed but sitting down, she finally had to let go of him and, for the briefest moment, he had the urge to wrap her in his arms again.

"I-It's Tolle, Dearka." Miriallia cried softly. "He came b-back to me but in my d-dream, he came back only to leave me a-again."

Dearka's heart tightened at the name of Miriallia's fallen boyfriend. But it almost broke when he saw the pained expression on her beautiful face.

Why was that?

Because Miriallia was his…comrade? His friend? His colleague?

What _was_ Miriallia to him?

He closed his eyes and mentally sighed.

There was no use denying it. Somewhere along the way, he had grown fond of her and it was driving him crazy and hurting him like hell because he knew that the beautiful woman beside him would never see him as more than a comrade. A Friend. A colleague.

It was difficult to see her like this because he knew there wasn't anything he could say that could take the pain away. So he just put an arm around her and held her close as he felt Miriallia, sobbing gently, rest her head on his shoulder.

They remained in that position for a few more minutes before Miriallia started calming herself down. She took a deep breath, dried her eyes, and looked up to face a sombre Dearka.

"I'm so silly." She said with a sad smile on her face. "He's really gone, isn't he?"

The moment Miriallia looked up to face him, he felt his heart start breaking in two at the sight of her. Her face was flushed. Her eyes, puffed up from excessive crying, were welling up again and held a look of…defeat? No, it was more of acceptance rather than defeat. But it was her heartbreaking smile that really clinched it all.

He gently held the side of her face and wiped the tear, which had just rolled down, off her cheek.

Only after this did he slowly nod his head in answer to her question.

* * *

"He's not all that bad actually." Athrun Zala, who was helping another injured ZAFT soldier, never took his eyes of the wound he was just about finished dressing as he remarked reflectively.

Cagalli gave him a doubtful look as she handed him a bandage.

After making sure Miriallia was in a stable condition, she decided to return to the hangar where there were still casualties to attend to. It only took a few minutes for her to spot the blue-haired Gundam pilot and another five to recount the bizarre events that unfolded in Miriallia's quarters.

Athrun noticed the expression on her face as he carefully started bandaging the young soldier's left arm. "Cagalli, I know what you're thinking but don't you think it's a bit unfair for you to judge him when you don't even really know him?"

"I – I know." She blushed at the gentle reproach and immediately became ashamed at her attitude. "It's just hard to believe. It's not like it's easy to look past his arrogance and cold demeanour on the first try, you know."

"I know what you mean, Ma'am." The young ZAFT soldier, having heard the entire conversation, interjected while examining his left arm that Athrun had just finished bandaging. And then, realizing what he just said, hurriedly apologized as he scratched his head with his right hand in embarrassment.

"It's alright." Athrun said as he stood up. "You have to explain yourself, though. You seemed to have caught someone's curiosity."

The Princess of Orb looked expectantly at the soldier and noticed that he looked younger than they were and looked very boyish with his rumpled copper hair and brown eyes. "What's your name and how old are you?"

He blushed at the questions issued by the woman in front of him. "I-I'm Hawkins, Ma'am. I'm 16 years old and at your service."

"This is Cagalli." Athrun, gesturing to the person beside him, could only smile at the obvious infatuation of Hawkins at Cagalli. "And I'm Athrun."

"Tell us your story, please." Cagalli uttered, completely oblivious to Athrun's observation.

Embarrassed at the attention given by the cute blond, Hawkins laughed nervously and then cleared his throat. "Uh, well, I had the same regard as yours for Sir Yzak Joule the first time I met him. He was the C.O. of our squad in the training camp just a short while before he wore the red uniform and, boy, did he work us hard."

"Yes, I think I heard about that." Athrun remarked when Cagalli looked at him for verification. "I think it was his mother's way of extending his training and keeping him far from the front lines."

"Well, Sir, I think he took his frustrations out on us. He worked us night and day. Our squad would be the first to rise and the last to sleep. Failure and excuses were simply unacceptable." He sighed as he remembered his training days. "Yup, we hated him."

"What made you change your opinion, then?" Cagalli asked with a slight trace of impatience.

"Well, it's really a long story, Ma'am, but I'll tell you the short version. We had a Black-Op Simulation a week before our graduation. What was supposed to be a mock-up operation turned real and actual."

"Why?" Cagalli inquired while Athrun remained silent. "What happened?"

Hawkins gave them a look of hesitancy before responding. "I'm sorry, Ma'am. It's classified." Seeing the look of understanding from their faces, he proceeded to his story. "Anyway, we encountered several problems but we were still able to accomplish the mission. It was on our way back when we got intercepted. I was heavily wounded but Sir Joule saw me and saved me."

He suddenly stopped and laughed as he recalled something. "I remember him telling me how careless I was. He kept telling me how I made everything complicated for him and that I was deadweight."

Cagalli and Athrun mildly sweat dropped when their storyteller sighed happily and murmured what sounded like 'the good old days'.

"Anyway, we were able to find cover but the others were not so lucky and were captured. After making sure the enemies were no longer in sight, he treated my wounds to the best of his ability and carried me to our make-shift base even though he was wounded as well. When I woke up, he was no longer there."

"What do you mean?" Cagalli asked incredulously. "He fled?"

"No, he didn't!" The young soldier raised his voice in indignation. Blushing at his outburst, he cleared his throat and continued more calmly. "He was gone for three days. On the fourth day, he finally came back. He was seriously wounded but he still held his head up high. Then I noticed he wasn't alone."

"Who was he with?" Cagalli prompted.

"My squad mates." Hawkins answered proudly.

* * *

'_Her eyes.'_ He thought reflectively as the face of the woman he encountered awhile ago flashed through his mind yet again. No matter how hard he tried, his thoughts just kept coming back to her and the way her eyes conveyed to him the different emotions she was feeling during that moment.

Surprise

Amazement

Happiness

Relief

Sadness

Disappointment

Fear

Panic

All of those feelings were conveyed to him in such a very short period of time. But his favourite was the trusting look she had given him.

Yzak huffed at the current trail of his thoughts while unconsciously massaging the nape of his neck.

'_Get real, Yzak.' _He thought angrily. _'She was delirious. When she looked at you, she was seeing someone else. That trusting look was for someone else. Not you.'_

"Why the hell am I even thinking about her?" He muttered under his breath as he balled his fists – ignoring the jolt of pain that shot past his recovering wound on his left chest and shoulder – and closed his eyes in an attempt to keep his temper in check.

"What is it?" He asked with hardly veiled irritation as he eyed the person several feet away from him.

Barely jumping in surprise, the young ZAFT soldier stood in attention as he nervously tried to answer his question. "Sir! T-The Captain of the Archangel is waiting for you at the Communications Room, Sir!"

* * *

When he stepped inside the Communications Room, he saw that, together with the Captain of the Archangel, the respective Captains of the Kusanagi and the Eternal were there as well and around them were Lacus, Dearka, and Athrun.

Aside from them, no one else was in the room.

"Alright." Murrue Ramius, her eyes puffed up and voice a bit dry, began. "Since we are all here, let us begin."


	4. Chapter 3

Love Is

by Paris Lee

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Author's Note: Hello everyone!

I am very sorry for the delay. This chapter was supposed to have been posted a week or two earlier but there was a heavy storm which prevented me from doing so.

I am from the City of Baguio in the Country of the Philippines and the week-long storm 'Florita' caused more than forty landslides, devastated a lot of families, and took several lives.

Let us pray for them.

About this chapter: You are probably going to hate Yzak.

Anyway, thank you all so much for your understanding and support. Your reviews really inspire me to continue this story. I hope you enjoy this one though I may not be confident about it.

No Flames please.

I do NOT own Gundam Seed.

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* * *

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Chapter Three

"_Love is One of the Most Important Elements in the Drama that is called Life" _

"…but it turned out to be a different person and not Tolle at all. Can you imagine that? I was embracing a complete stranger, Cagalli. And in my underwear, too! And Dearka was there as well. He had such an angry look on his face. It was the worst dream I have ever had. I didn't even –"

"Uh, Mir?" Cagalli interrupted her friend's story telling and sat beside her on the bed uncertain how her news was going to be received. "About that…"

"What is it?" Miriallia asked with growing apprehension.

Cagalli lightly gripped the other woman's shoulder and remembered what Dearka had told her earlier before he and Athrun went off to the Communications Room. "It wasn't a dream."

Miriallia's eyes widened in disbelief.

"It's true." Cagalli confirmed and proceeded to give the much needed explanation Miriallia's eyes were waiting for. "Let's see, Dearka told me that he had just come back and was hoping to find you here when he didn't see any sign of you anywhere else on the ship. When he opened the door, he was surprised to see you with 'that bastard Yzak.' Yes, those were his exact words."

"Who's Yzak?" Miriallia asked though quite unsure if she wanted to hear the answer.

"Well, from what Athrun had told me, Yzak Joule was also a part of the Le Kreuze Team. He's the pilot of the Duel Gundam and Dearka's childhood friend." Cagalli clarified. "The same person you must have mistook for Tolle and hugged."

"Oh my God…" Miriallia whispered in mortification as she hid her flushed face with her hands. "This is so embarrassing, Cagalli!"

The Orb Princess could only sigh in sympathy. "So, I guess you thought that your talk with Dearka was part of a dream, too. Don't worry though because he refused to tell me what you talked about."

The CIC of the Archangel groaned in comical despair. She just hoped she didn't say or do anything else to cause her further humiliation.

* * *

The face of Ezaria Joule suddenly flashed on the wide screen in the Communications Room and three out of the four young Coordinators immediately snapped into attention with a routine salute despite their initial shock.

She returned the gesture and discreetly scanned the room. The Captain of the Archangel had reassured her that her son was safely on board but she just had to be sure. Finally seeing him at the far end of the room, her face visibly relaxed a bit.

After all the formalities between the Captains and Councilwoman Ezaria Joule were observed and after the latter had inquired about the four Coordinators' general status, she immediately went to the point.

"In behalf of the ZAFT Forces, I would like to thank you for the kindness and consideration you have shown our soldiers." She sincerely articulated while giving the Captains a small, but genuine, smile. She then looked at the four adolescents in front of her. "The Eternal may stay for the moment and help the injured. As for the four of you, I need all of you here as soon as possible so please get ready. I have already sent a shuttle to your current location. You leave in an hour. You are to wait for further instructions at a vacant room until then."

"In all due respect, Councilwoman Joule, there is really no need to rush." Murrue, slightly taken aback along with the two other captains, replied. "I have no problem having them aboard for much longer."

Ezaria Joule was a bit surprised, and glad, at the woman's protectiveness. She sneaked a look at the three concerned Coordinators and saw their relaxed faces free from regrets and etched with calm acceptance.

Everyone in the room knew that Dearka Elthman, Athrun Zala, and Lacus Clyne would have to face the consequences of their actions.

"I understand and appreciate your concern, Captain, but my decision stands."

* * *

'_I wonder what's going to happen now that the war is finally over.' _Yzak thought grimly.

They were the only ones left in the Communications Room now. The Captains had promptly left after the transmission and promised to return later to escort them to their shuttle. He huffed at this. It was not like they were some sort of prisoner or invalid who needed to be escorted. But despite himself, he knew that they were only doing this to make sure that the other three will not be harmed.

'_Naturals really _are_ stupid.' _He thought irately._ 'Do they really think the council will do anything to harm them? We belong to prominent and influential families. The most the Council would be able to do is to talk Lacus' ear off with a lengthy lecture and then strip Athrun and Dearka of their ranks. But they will probably earn it back in half a year's time again." _He scowled at the latter thought, suddenly unsure whether he liked the idea or not.

"What is it, Dearka?" He asked so menacingly that if it had been anybody else, they would have trembled in fear. "If you have something to say, say it."

The tanned boy was unfazed. If anything, he looked angrier and kept walking towards him until they were only a few feet apart. With forced calm, he asked the question he had been longing to throw at him. "What the hell just happened back there?"

Yzak, who was barely paying any attention to him, was suddenly pulled out of his thoughts and was momentarily confused. "Happened where?"

Dearka held on to his thinning patience. He wanted to give his friend another punch to jog his memory a bit but decided to answer the question instead. He knew Yzak. He knew that you won't get anywhere with him if you let your temper get the better of you and get all riled up. Taking a deep breath, he answered through clenched teeth. "Back in Miriallia's quarters."

'_So, that's her name.' _Yzak thought distractedly as memories of what happened earlier came floating to his mind. He could see the Buster pilot trying hard to control his temper and his mouth. He was certainly acting like a different person. The way he reacted a while back was really out of character and, now, this. And all because of…

'_Miriallia…' _He thought in revelation as realization dawned on him. It all clicked. He faced his inquisitor who was visibly starting to lose his patience. "It was because of her, wasn't it?"

Now it was Dearka's turn to look confused.

"Back then." Yzak said, knowing that Dearka understood that he was referring to their previous stand-off. "I asked you why you were doing all this. You were doing it all for her, weren't you?"

Dearka was speechless. All he wanted to do right now was to land a punch across Yzak's face to wipe off the smug look he was giving him. His fists were literally shaking in anger.

The fact that he was able to render his smart aleck childhood friend speechless spoke volumes. He was right. No wonder he reacted the way he did when he saw his girl in his arms _and _in a ludicrous position, too. Dearka had finally fallen for someone.

"Hn." Arms crossed over his chest, he leaned his uninjured shoulder against the wall and eyed his wordless friend gravely. "She's a _Natural_, Dearka. Even _you _deserve better."

"Shut up, Yzak!" Dearka angrily shouted. All patience lost. "You don't even know what the hell you're talking about!"

"Don't I!" Yzak, no longer leaning against the wall in a relaxed manner, replied heatedly. He couldn't understand why Dearka was being stubborn and why he was acting as if he were the enemy when he was just trying to look out for him. "When I was in that room with her, she called out for you but, not long after that, she called out for someone else, too. And from the way she mistook me for that person definitely makes it clear that he wasn't just a friend of hers! You seriously want to be a replacement for this Tolle person each and every time he's not around to take care of her?"

Lacus' lavender eyes widened and matched the truly stunned expression on her face as she instinctively clutched the forearm of the man beside her to prevent him from any thoughtless physical reaction.

She and Athrun, only a few feet away from them, had been listening to their conversation the moment Dearka had shouted. He and Yzak were so caught up with their heated discussion that they totally forgot that they weren't the only people in the room.

"That is _enough_." Athrun ordered calmly but his eyes were livid.

"But I'm right!" Yzak protested furiously and refused to back down. "You are only being used by a manipulative Natural who already has a boyfriend whom she is obviously cheating on by simply thinking of you!"

A soft gasp escaped from the Songstress' lips at what Yzak had just unwittingly done, just a millisecond before the Buster pilot's fist connected with the Duel pilot's jaw for the second time that day.

But that was not the end of it.

Dearka grabbed whatever cloth he could from Yzak's space suit and used it to violently shove him against the wall causing the latter to grunt in pain as his injuries, yet again, made their presence known. His right arm, pressed against Yzak's throat, was what was pinning the platinum-haired pilot to the wall.

"Please, stop this." Lacus, whose wrist was tightly held by Athrun to prevent her from getting any closer to the two, gently pleaded. "He doesn't know, Dearka."

Dearka was aware of that. He was also aware of how stupid and ashamed Yzak will feel later when he finds out. Another thing he was also aware of was Yzak's genuine concern behind his twisted and tactless way of expressing it.

But that didn't mean anything right now.

And with that thought, he disobeyed strict orders yet again and stormed out of the room.

But not before landing another blow on his best friend's jaw.

Athrun merely gave the Duel pilot a long hard look and left the room as well after making sure that Lacus was going to be fine.

"What the hell is wrong with them!" Yzak asked after being assisted to a nearby chair.

"Yzak…" The Songstress took the emergency kit in the Communications Room and went to the once again injured pilot. "…about Miriallia, Tolle, Dearka, and Athrun…"

* * *

"What are you doing here?" Cagalli asked in surprise when the door swished open to reveal the Buster pilot on the other side and looked behind him for any sign of Athrun.

"If you're looking for your boyfriend, he's back at the Communications Room." Dearka pointed out gloomily as he walked inside the room. He instantly noticed Miriallia's absence.

"Wha – I – we're…" Cagalli stammered with a furious blush on her face. With everything that had been happening around them, there was just no time to clearly define their relationship.

"Whatever." The tanned pilot said with an uncharacteristic, and somewhat forced, half-hearted smirk as he walked to the end of the room. "Where's Miriallia?"

"She took a bath. She's feeling much better now." She replied with brows furrowed in mild concern at the off-beat vibe emanating from the pilot. "What's wrong? Did something happen?"

"Yeah, but I'd rather not talk about it." Dearka answered and then realized how rude he had sounded. "I'm sorry. I appreciate the concern but…"

"Forget about it." Cagalli interjected and lightly shook her head with a smile. "It's okay if you don't want to talk about it."

"Thanks." He articulated with a more genuine smirk than a while ago. "So, were you able to talk to Miriallia about it?"

"Oh, almost forgot about that."

"Well?"

"You were right." Cagalli informed with a frown. "She thought it was just a dream."

"How did she handle it?" He asked anxiously. The last thing he wanted right now was for Miriallia to be so overcome with embarrassment that she'd start avoiding him.

"All things considered…" The pilot of the Strike Rouge started and continued with a dry smile. "…I'd say she handled it quite well."

* * *

"Hey, kid." The former-enemy-turned-comrade greeted as he stepped into the room, not bothering to shut the door close.

"Captain Bartfeldt." Kira addressed the man in front of him as he returned the smile given to him and proceeded to button up his uniform.

"I didn't know you were allowed to leave already."

Kira smiled sheepishly in reply and decided to change the topic instead. "Is there something I can help you with, Captain?"

"Oh, no, I just came here to relay a message." The scar-faced man answered seriously. "It's from the true Captain of the Eternal."

* * *

"Cagalli!" Miriallia, refreshed and having just entered her quarters, exclaimed as she rushed towards the pilot of the Strike Rouge. "I overheard Captain Bartfeldt tell Kira, in behalf of Lacus, that Athrun, Dearka, Yzak, and herse –."

She stopped in mid-sentence when she finally realized somebody else's presence in the room.

"Hello, Miriallia." Dearka greeted the slightly blushing Archangel crew, who was avoiding his gaze, sombrely.

"What is it, Mir?" Cagalli asked in concern when she saw that her friend was starting to well up tears in her eyes. "What's wrong? What about them?"

"They're leaving in an hour."

"What!" The Princess of Orb exclaimed in outrage as she looked from Miriallia's saddened face to Dearka's unreadable facial expression.

It was at that moment when the door swished open to reveal the pilot of the Justice Gundam.

"You jerk!" Cagalli shouted in rage as she tried to score a punch on the confused Justice pilot's face. "Just when were you planning to tell me?"

Athrun's quick reflexes kicked in as he pulled the blonde's body close to his with her hands held in a tight grip close to his chest.

"I didn't tell them, man!" Dearka remarked defensively when his co-pilot gave him a frown.

"I'm sorry. It's my fault." Miriallia softly explained. "You must have been planning to tell Cagalli yourself. I overheard it being discussed."

Athrun sighed in sudden exhaustion and, as Cagalli continued to attack him verbally, gave the other two a strained smile. "I'm sorry about this. Please excuse us."

* * *

"So…" Dearka, still standing at the edge of the room, started awkwardly and was quite unsure what he was going to say next. He just knew that he had to say something or it would just get more uncomfortable than it already was. "Hi."

"Are you really going back?"

He didn't know what kind of reply or reaction he was expecting but this certainly _wasn't_ it.

Miriallia was now just an arm's length away and was looking straight at him. Her voice was somewhat cold to hear, very much like when they first met, and her beautiful face held a tight frown.

She was angry.

And she looked damn cute.

'_Damn it, Dearka.' _The Buster pilot cursed. _'Focus, will you?'_

"Well?" Miriallia's frown went deeper as she placed her hands on her hips, indicating how serious she was.

"I…well….yes." The young coordinator, looking at anything but her, answered with disorientation. She was really making it hard for him to concentrate.

_She_ knewwhat kind of reply she was expecting and _this_ wasn't it.

"Oh, I see." Miriallia replied and promptly put her hands down. "So, you're going back to the PLANTs."

Dearka sombrely nodded in reply. "I'll be leaving the Archangel in an hour."

"No, Dearka…" Miriallia softly negated as she turned to walk away from him. Before stepping out of the now open door, she continued with a voice full of hurt she could not understand. "You'll be leaving _me_."

And with that, she left the Buster pilot alone and very much confused.

* * *

"Tired?" Athrun jokingly asked his Princess, with a loving smile.

Cagalli petulantly ignored this and looked the other way with her nose held up high and her arms crossed over her chest. She had just finished her childish ranting a few minutes after they arrived at her brother's vacant quarters and, yes, she _was_ tired.

Not that she was going to admit it.

Besides, this wasn't even about her.

It was about _him. _

Leaving.

Her.

Cagalli unconsciously dropped her defensive stance as her trail of thoughts treaded down the path she had just been ignoring a while ago and had now, finally, admitted to herself.

Yes, he was leaving her.

The slightest possibility of it happening never even crossed her mind. Maybe because he just never gave her any reason to. Or maybe he did but she just wasn't paying attention. Or maybe…

All thoughts were put to a stop when she suddenly felt herself encased in a firm but warm embrace from behind.

"Cagalli…" Athrun softly spoke his Princesses' name as he wrapped his arms around her upper body, securely locking her upper arms in place. It was only when he felt her relax and rest the back of her head on his chest did he whisper into her ears. "I don't want to go."

"Then don't."

"I have to." Athrun gently countered, loving the feel of her body so close to his, which was only made better by the innate feminine smell she was emitting despite the work she had been through. "I have to because I need to tie all the lose ends in the life I left behind. I have to because I need to make sure that no ghosts will haunt the life I chose to live. The life I chose to live with _you_, Cagalli."

"You're going back…" The blonde abruptly turned around in mild surprise. "…for me?"

Now, it was Athrun's turn to look surprised with a hint of mild confusion. "Is that so surprising?"

A blush was leisurely creeping across her cheeks as she avoided his gaze and slowly nodded her head in confirmation. "Shouldn't it be?"

Upon hearing the question, Athrun laughed out loud but immediately stopped when she saw the deadly look the pilot of the Strike Rouge was giving him. "Is this about who you are to me?"

She refused to meet his amused gaze as well as answer his stupid question. She turned to leave the suddenly confining room. First, he laughs at her _then _he asks her a stupid question in a condescending tone. Just who did he think he was?

"Cagalli, wait!" Athrun called out as he grabbed her wrist and gently pulled her back towards him, their faces just several inches apart. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to laugh. I just thought I had been obvious enough."

Crossly turning her face away from him she muttered under her breath what sounded like 'Well, you weren't.'

Athrun's enhanced hearing picked this up of course.

"Then I guess we just have to remedy that now, don't we?" He whispered and, after gently turning her face towards him, gave her no chance to reply as he warmly pulled her body closer to his.

Tenderly touching her face, he then promptly pressed his lips onto her soft ones.

* * *

"Shit."

"Now, Yzak, there's no need for crude language." Lacus mildly rebuked with a sympathetic smile. "You did not know."

The door to the Communications Room swished open that moment to reveal a very worried-looking Kira Yamato whose worry only increased when he saw the Songstress' beautiful face etched with sadness along with the Duel pilot's angry vibe.

"Kira!" Lacus called out in a mixture of joy and concern as she approached him. "You're supposed to be in the Medic Bay!"

"Don't worry, I'm feeling much better now." Kira explained with a cute hangdog smile before casting a glance at the silver-haired pilot. "But what's going on here? Is everything alright?"

"Thank you for the information, Ms. Clyne." Yzak abruptly stood up and headed for the door. "If you'll excuse me..."

* * *

Thank you very much for reading. Please leave a review.


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